Warhammer : Visions #15 - Last Of It's Run? Maybe It's Time!

There have been reports in recent weeks that Warhammer: Visions will be changing it's format from it's small digest-style look to a larger format. That's all fine and good - but I hope they give us the option because a larger format book next to this small format book, designed to look good on a bookshelf, will look pretty dumb.
For me this could be the nail in the coffin for a publication that has always had great promise, a brilliant idea, but has rarely ever followed through. 
From quality-sporadic photos to a basic lack of content, this was supposed to the the hobbyists magazine, No rules, just hobby stuff - but they have consistently ignored the actual hobby. Where are the WIP workshops? Where are the extended painting articles or a series on how to take great photos? They are not there and it seems like they never will be.
+ + What's In this Issue? Read On + + 

The table of contents pretty much says it all this month; pictures. Glossy pictures!

The New Releases section is dominated by Chaos. They show a lot of amazing new shots of the Bloodthirsters. The painters did an amazing job on these. Such exquisite detail. Smartly they gloss over possibly the worst miniatures release of the year, the Skullreaper/ Wrathmongers but Skarr Bloodwrath gets a good run. The Khorne releases were just a bit crap!
Interestingly in this section, the Bloodthirsters are only shown in a Warhammer setting and not in a Warhammer 40K one. It would have seemed a prime opportunity!

Forge World gets to show off their Imperial Fists miniatures which are very nicely done. Yellow is unforgiving, so to achieve it so well is indeed a challenge.

Army of the Month was previewed in White Dwarf this week and it's Ben Johnsosn's Realm of Chaos army. All the Great Powers brought together in a pretty spectacular looking force!

We get a showcase of some vehicles in this section *yawn*
No kitbashing workshop to show you how you could do it, or even how the markings on the Dark Eldar ship were done. Just pictures!

In The Spotlight looks at the miniatures of Melissa Holland. This hobby desperately needs more women in it and Melissa's miniatures are just lovely. Her Cave Trolls are really nice and the attention to detail on the Horned Rat are very clean and well done!

Andy Keddie's Tau force is large and heavy with suits! Not sure about the colour scheme, but Tau seem to be hard to get a good scheme for. A lot of the poses in this force are great!

Parade Ground proves it's worth again with some great shots from Golden Demon Medena which has given this section life for untold months now! There are a few yellow-ish pics that plagued early Golden Demon photo shoots, but mostly they are pretty clean and clear.

Like Khorne? Well this is for you. Some nice mixing of the black and the red on these miniatures. This army has been seen before in White Dwarf for Daemonkin. It's impressive.

This may be the best section in the magazine this month. This is the readers' Parade Ground. There are some really lovely models in here and well photographed.

Blanchitsu this month is a little disappointing considering the triumphs of previous months but still some inspirational models in there.

Verdict

I'm going to hold fire on this issue because I think it deserves it's own post, but this issue has no content whatsoever!
Yes Melissa Holland's miniatures are well done, yes the reader's Parade Ground is nice - but the issue is BORING!! There's nothing to grasp onto. Nothing to read, nothing to learn.
This issue seems thrown together. It has no heart and no soul.
I've defended this publication from the very beginning hoping for better things - but I'm getting tired of doing that now. If I could take this issue back, I would!
BORING!